welcome to real Christianity a weekly show designed to help Christians know their Bible defend their faith and truly understand what it means to follow Jesus the premise is simple the culture is getting louder the church is getting flash ear but few pastors are teaching on how to live a Biblical life my name is Dale Partridge along with my incredible wife Veronica join us as we start an important conversation about what it really means to be a Christian
 welcome to real Christianity today we are talking about how Christians should delight and doctorate in Theology delighting and doctorate in theology sounds like it would be a very boring episode but not today it would be great episode I'm actually really excited think the contents going to be at a fine for you before we get started wanted to mention a few things one is if you haven't left your review and your regular listener to real Christianity appreciate that if you just go to iTunes tap the Stars you don't even need to write anything but if you do write something we will read it if you guys want the show notes for this episode you want to listen to watch the video you want to download the audio you want to look at the show notes the references of scripture that we used you can always do that a real AR at relearn Church. Org forward slash listen I'm not helpless Dive Right In I want to just get started and get moving to the conversation so our theology is simply are defined view of God
 so that's just whatever theology hold it's just your Define view of God and so whether you like it or not you you do have a theology if you're Christian you have some Doctrine and Theology and that is what makes up your Define view of God and so today's conversation isn't about if you want to have a theology about God or understand some dr. God it's really about do you have sound theology or biblical theology about God is your theology that you currently have correct theology that's kind of the conversation that we're going to have today and I think this episode actually fits quite nicely with our previous episode which is how is your worship music teaching you false doctrine that came out last week as if you haven't listened to that that was a really popular episode wildfire wildfire we had a hundred thousand podcast episodes released
 in the spiritual and the religious and spirituality category that were in this episode was like number 53 so the number 53 most listened to it over 10,000 people listened to the episode in the first 24 hours we definitely struck a chord in a conversation that needed to happen around worship music I think today's conversation doesn't really good job I'm kind of picky backing that last episode
 people were saying to me online I think its popularity was because it discussed many disgusting something that many of us in the church at Felts but didn't really know how to communicate so for those you did listen to it we hope that you were encouraged by it I hope that it was fine for you and brought some clarity but today we want to continue the conversation about Theology and Doctrine and why all Christians no matter what kind of Christian you are young new old average or mature all Christians should delight and actually desire to study Theology and Doctrine this is a this is exactly what Veronica said it is a message for all walks of the Christian Life and I'm going to start off with a when I would say the Bedrock
 scripture for having a theology forgot and this is Matthew 22 37 and 38 this is red letter Jesus talking here and he says Jesus said to him you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind this is the first and great commandment okay so I just want you to catch that right there okay that that is such an this is the first and great command of what we're talking about Jesus Christ Our Lord said this is the first and great Commandment that we love our God with all our heart with all of our soul and with all of our mind okay western church I would say is a pretty emotional church I think that's kind of what we're dealing with in this generation this era of the church and I don't think that we have much of an issue with loving God with her heart and loving God with her soul I don't think that's
 a real big problem in the church today but did you catch the last part of that verse in a part of the first and greatest commandment is to also love God with all of your mind
 and we don't get to kind of avoid this intellectual component of our relationship with God that's what this passage of saying we can't just going to opt out of the mental side of understanding God and our relationship with him it's actually critically important it's so important that it's part of the first and greatest Commandment that we had a relationship with her heart with our soul and with our mind and there seems to be in my experience some fear in the church that if you increase your doctrinal and Theological knowledge that somehow you will either become two or one of these two people it's only reggaeton number one you'll become an intellectual who loses their relational elements with God and we seen this happen with seminarians and Academia that ultimate
 you'll become an intellectual who loses their relationship with a relational capacities for gout exactly and I think a lot of people fear that the second fear I think the diving to the doctor theology in the church what you would get is your fear is that you actually decrease your accessibility to the loss or to the young and Faith may be elevated yourself to a Untouchable or unrelatable unapproachable unapproachable place that all those people that study Theology and Doctrine they're really not practical they don't know how to talk the average Christian they're not really Evangelistic they come out like I think there's a fear exactly an end cuz it does happen but it shouldn't be the result and if that's the case if you become one of those two people after reading
 Christian doctrine in theology then you're either not reading Christian doctrine the theology or you're not allowing what you're reading to conform you to the image and likeness of Christ and so if you're reading doctor Theology and studying it and you're actually lose the relational element you're not getting what you're reading
 it's becoming prideful what you're just you're missing the point right and and if you if you're reading dr. Singh Urology in your studying the stuff and it makes you less approachable you become prideful Academia you're missing the point God's word which I get I think we're going to see today in this episode is it the closer you get to him the closer you should become to his people to his flock right the more you know him the more you should love others gave them the more you understand him the more joyful and compassionate and peaceful and mature you should become so we shouldn't fear
 this intellectual relationship with God through doctorate in theology it shouldn't make us unapproachable it shouldn't make us lose a relational elements of that like it should actually draw us closer make us more like Christ this avoidance of intellectual relationship with God is actually an avoidance of one of the parts of the first and great commandment so we can't check out of the mental side of the Christian faith we can't just stick with the ABC's guys we got to increase the mental relationship with all of our mind everything we have and we can just check out the basics
 yeah so starting next week I will be starting Aria in kindergarten next weekend for our family the path we have chosen for homeschooling is going to be at least for now a classical approach to homeschooling in a classical education is unique because it actually relates to my journey with doctor in the Theology and In classical classical education it's broken down into three steps or cycles of learning and it's called the Trivium which I believe means like three roads are where three roads intersect and the first step of the Trivium is grammar the second is the deadlock text age or the logic stage and the third is the rhetoric which is it basically the three types and stages of learning and understanding The Words step to knowing the words step three is understanding that the idea of the concept and step three is kind of like understanding to defending to discussing it you know having bigger
 yeah see you learn and understand and doesn't the words it like you said in step one and not nothing else you basically just get comfortable with the vocabulary sorry is just learning the words right now like noun pronoun adjective verb things like that and so she doesn't even necessarily know what they mean at this point but she's just learning the words and basically you have to learn the words and eventually their meanings before you can interact with the study so I think this is a huge barrier to entry for Christians when it comes to Doctrine in theology words like sanctification or atonement and justification and election are intimidating even the words Theology and Doctrine can be intimidating but for me I found it if I just spend time learning the vocabulary first in the words and getting comfortable with that
 then move on to the study part later. Has helped me so my suggestion for those who can tend to be a little bit overwhelmed by the topic of doctrinal theology is to find a book that will ease you into the study of God actually two books that I want to recommend you guys that I think you're a really great starting point on the introduction to theology the basics right that these words getting the grammar getting yourself comfortable with just the the territory the vocabulary and again I think it's Veronica said those words like sanctification to tell men to justification it can be so intimidated because you just go what what are all those things actually mean I've heard of that church I don't necessarily know what they mean and and that's actually for many Christians have been Believers for ten fifteen years I still don't understand those words and so again I think you feel so much more confident when you have an understanding you can come into the
 you can start communicating and you can see our building on top of your understanding and so the two books that I think are really great starting point I'm going to put these in the show notes if you guys want to reference them later you guys totally but if you're up an Amazon person you can just pick these up one of them is titled love your God with all your mind and that's by JP Moreland and a great introduction of loving God with your mind understanding theology who he is getting a mental picture and relationship with the Lord the second one is a mind for God by dr. James Andre White
 and these books I would say they're pretty good reviews they've they're they're both written by men who have great Theological Seminary and backgrounds and I think it's a good place for people to start and I've gone through biblical theology at Seminary and it was nice to start with some introductory work like this they really do have a good system for getting you comfortable with the basics and so let's quickly talk about the problem I think that it's an important conversation and an important component about our discussion today the western shirt is Evangelistic Lee rich and discipleship we are really good at evangelism in America we're not really good at discipleship and we're so heavily focused on saving the lost that we kind of ignored the need to strengthen the Saints and I think this is a game part of the problem of why we don't have a hunger and an understanding for theology in the western church today
 and in many ways you know we weren't Outreach church right we we preach the basics of the face just about every Sunday Kind of an Evangelistic Outreach Sunday and as a result that the deeper Parts the Christian faith have really been avoided and we end up with a church who has what I would say for weaknesses and we're going to talk about those weaknesses here and just have a discussion about what is that happens when we don't have deeper conversations from the pulpit when we're always focused on the entry point and so we just number one when you don't have the algae and Doctrine which is number one is you don't know what you do believe okay people they don't know what they do believe
 and most have accepted Christ kind of by raising their hand at church and they had a service and that was the very beginning of their understanding of the Gospel right there baby Christian introduction to the Christian faith but outside of their understanding of their sin and maybe a need for their savior they really don't understand what it means to be a Christian and they don't know about scriptures command on sexual immorality money or marriage or parenting or repentance on prayer they don't know the video they don't know what they do believe and that's a promise that's a weakness that number one when you don't have
 Theology and Doctrine you don't even know what you do believe they don't know what they don't believe in a great quote he said if we don't know the Bible if we don't know Doctrine if we don't know theology is virtually impossible to identify false teaching and Dill I've heard you say a few times you can't know the Bible by simply allowing someone else to tell you what's in it you need to study it for yourself and when you study it for yourself you'll learn what the Bible says and when someone actually presents or teaches something other than what's in the Bible you will be able to identify it recognizes yeah it's just so you got to got to really important points are right you have number one you don't know what you do believe that's a weakness number to you don't know what you don't believe right you got it you kind of be fooled by anything because you don't know what you're not supposed to believe because it doesn't sit in that the ology framework the week December
 three is they don't know how to explain their Christian faith okay so this is another really important element of theology doctor because you when you don't know your theology Doctrine you don't know how to explain your Christian faith to other people Barna released a study that showed that only 11% of Christians have read the entire Bible okay so we have a very biblically illiterate church weekly church-going folks only 11% of the entire Bible they also found that 76% of Evangelical Christians in America don't know what the Great Commission is and so it's so we have now physical literacy they don't know the mission of the church you know you don't read the Bible you you don't know the Great Commission right so that's that's probably the direct connection there and then
 get the last finding that they had that was really interesting is that only 5% of Christians are sharing the gospel with one person per year lot of people show their Faith Christian presenting the gospel and being prepared to present it and prepared to respond to people's questions are prepared to understand a discussion right so so when you only 5% so when you don't have Doctrine and we don't know what you believe you don't have see ology you can't explain to anyone else what you do believe and it puts you yourself in a really I would save honorable position and and not an effective position to be a Christian Witness
 yeah okay so we just number for they don't know how to defend their Christian faith
 1st Peter 3:15 says but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and beer so every one of us should should be studying and preparing for opportunities to engage in a conversation about Christianity in the Public Square I'm trust me I'm like the last person that wants to get into a debate I guess but the Lord actually calls me to be ready to give an answer in for me it might be on my Christian perspective on motherhood or parenting or homeschooling and for you it might be the harder questions about other religions are or why does God allow pain we don't need to know now if we don't need another and everything but we should have our hurt
 ready and prepared to give a defense when you don't know the ology and Doctrine number one is that you don't know what you do believe number two is you don't know what you don't believe and and I want to stop at that point just for a second is it this is why so many people in the church listen to Prosperity Gospel teachers and they don't even know that it's wrong because they don't even know what they don't believe meaning that they don't know what they shouldn't believe in terms of what is actual Christian doctrine you could be fooled by anybody and Satan's going to want to rip you out as you are an infant baby Christian and so we were three is it you don't know how to explain your Christian faith thoroughly and we just have her for is that you don't know how to defend your Christian faith and so is so critical
 actually for those of us who have been Christian for a long time and so before close I want to share just two more passages in the New Testament that really call us to know the more advanced things of the Christian faith and you going to learn that this problem today that we're dealing with with Biblical illiteracy with people avoiding intellectual relationship with God it's not a new problem is actually a problem that was happening even two thousand years ago in the church and again a little prefaces remember if you call yourself a Christian you should care about what God's word says on this matter this is the part of the first and great commandment and again just to cut check my boxes here this isn't about legalism okay this is about having a heart and a soul and mind
 that must got a lot of comments and questions and and sometimes we get some reviews that this is legalism guys I want to just clarify real quick legalism is when you work at ultimately the law is what makes you saved when you obey certain laws that was is what justifies you before got a workspace salvation that is legalism that is not what we're talking about today and and that's not anything that we believe I think the church today legalism is defined as anything of the Bible says that we don't want to do we just like to call all that legalism but that's not what this is about this is about having a mental relationship with God along side of a soul relationship and a heart relationship
 so yeah we're going to Veronica open up these passages here is the section that I'm about to read the Peril of not progressing and this is going to be M Hebrews chapter 5 verse 12 through chapter 6 verse 27 to be reading it in the ESV
 for though by this time you ought to be teachers you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the Oracles of God you need milk not solid food for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness since he is a child but solid food is for the mature for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from Evil and let's leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of Faith toward God and of instruction about washing the laying on of hands the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement but the main point is that she says Hey for though by this time you ought to be teachers right this is
 I rebuke of going you guys come on you how long have you guys known Christ and you guys are still stuck on the elementary versus the basic principles of the Oracles of God you need milk not solid food and my appointed I've written down here is that there's a time for milk and it's when you're a baby when your baby you can't eat meat you need milk to survive but if you only eat milk as an adult what would happen to you
 you'd wither away you went away and I and I think that's a really good word picture is that yeah if we're Christians five years in 10 years in still living on milk or not getting into the deeper parts of our faith does a deeper understanding of God then it's like having milk as an adult and we will wither away and eventually many people can fall away and die and in order to grow you need meat that's just a part of basic biology and this is what the Apostle is saying he says therefore let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity
 like what a powerful statement that is and it's so funny what he calls the elementary doctrines here right now he says not Lane again the foundation of repentance so that's a Elementary Doctrine Faith toward God then he's like it we don't even talk about fate or God you have faith Let's Move On Right add to your faith is things is what 1st Peter 2nd Peter chapter1 would say I'm he talks about washing the laying on of hands the resurrection of the Dead Eternal judgement these are all just the Elementary in our day and age right so if you're a Christian I've been to church for longer than a year to I would say that you should be starting to eat in meat milk is
 you need to move on from the ABC's in the basics that you should have been move on from the elementary principles of the doctrines of Christ in seeking to understand the deeper things of God we hope this podcast been a blessing to your walk with God for those that don't know real Christianity isn't audio ministry under our nonprofit relearn church.org I'm telling you this because we're listener-supported podcast it takes a small team a serious amount of equipment and several hours per week to keep the show going I share this because Veronica and I want to grow the reach of the show that it might help even more Christians mature and their understanding of God's word so if you're a regular listener to this podcast would you consider supporting us in this ministry effort we're not asking for much maybe $10 $20 or $25 per month I promise you that your support will help us continue to get God's truth out to strengthen the body of Christ and the further the gospel if you feel that
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we'll move on to the next message for today comes from one of my favorite books in the Bible and that's going to be full of Ian's for me and chapter 15 verse 9 and 10 and it reads and it is my prayer that your love me about more and more with knowledge and all discernment so that you may prove what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ so I'm going to read it one more time just cuz sometimes when you're in a listening to this it's a little a little harder to cut her grass the text message reading out loud and it is my prayer that your love me a bound more and more with knowledge and all the cermet okay he wants our love to have done more and more with what knowledge so that you may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless
 for the day of Christ and so the more you read scripture the more you see that the Bible never separates the knowledge of God from the love of God links together okay you can't separate the knowledge of God and the love of God right you can't have discernment without knowledge you can't have love without knowledge you can't have relationship without knowledge
 and so you know basically when you increase your knowledge your relationship should increase would you increase your knowledge your devotion your understanding your love for God should increase those are that that's a natural reaction to having knowledge and 1700 George Whitefield he wants to study to know him more and more for the more you know him the more you will love him and I think that's a really good perspective of going guys we shouldn't fear picking up at 8 of you Tozer book The Pursuit Of God is a great theological book I would say he's a theologian and aw Tozer wrote The Pursuit Of God it's a short 80-page book 9th book it's a great starting point to go a little bit deeper than what we do in the church and so yeah just really excited to push you guys forward into more maturity
 yeah so we hope that this episode was encouraging to you and also just to remind you have Grace at their self you are on a journey and you don't have to know everything but you do have to move forward you can't stay stagnant you guys do move forward at that you do see to these things out pick up one of those books go a little bit deeper maybe do a Ravi Zacharias podcast I listen to Robbie all the time he has a great podcast called just thinking and Men your first time listening to it is going to be a whole bunch of words that you go what is he saying but once you get the vocabulary what you get the vernacular you can understand and you go out it's become such a great resource for for me that's for sure so
 do you think before we close one if you're one of those people that has not read the entire Bible we have a Bible 365-day reading plan that you can download for free from our web site just to relearn church.org Bible and start reading the Bible through a year and Veronica is so close to finishing she's done the entire New Testament and almost all of the Old Testament she's got like a couple more books to finish in the end of the Old Testament here I've taken me longer than a year and I've got a I'm about to go through the Bible again next year for Cemetery so it's just something to go through and we're excited for you so you can get that and again if you want to look at the show notes for this episode just got to read on church.org forward listen on that note guys we will see you guys next week thanks for listening
 hey Dale Partridge here I recently heard a disturbing statistic only 11% of Christians have read the entire Bible now we can't wonder why the church is being influenced by the culture more than the culture is being influenced by the church the vast majority of Christians don't know God's word because they've never read it we cannot live out what we do not understand so Veronica and I want to challenge you right now to read the Bible in one year we put together a basic 365-day reading plan that'll take you no longer than 20 minutes per day and you can download it for free at relearn church.org Bible again that's relearn Church. Org forward slash Bible
 thank you for joining us on this episode of real Christianity real Christianity is an audio Ministry of relearn church.org if you'd like more information on how to live out a Biblical life relearn church.org of Articles podcast sermons and videos to support your journey real Christianity is 100% listener-supported Ministry and if you'd like to support our efforts simply click to donate tab at relearn church.org you can also connect with both Veronica and I on Instagram Facebook and Twitter for daily lessons and Bible teachings thank you for being with us today we hope to see you next Wednesday another episode of real Christianity